Stroke-regulator for plungers.



0 H. HARRISON & E A. PETERSON.

STROKE REGULATOR FOR PLUNGBRS.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1908. 928, 1 930 Patented July 13, 1909.

mm l aflflfrzaaiz iii/4 ,1 66 ansozz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR H. HARRISON AND EDWARD A. PETERSON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNORS OF ONE-FOURTH TO HIRAM A. MERLEIN AND ONE-FOURTH TO AMOS O.HORTON, OF ROCK- FORD, ILLINOIS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OSCAR H. HAnnisoN and EDWARD A. Pnrnnsou, citizensof the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebagoand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Stroke-Regulators for Plungers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements inmagnetically operated plunger mechanism, and relates particularly tomeans for regulating the stroke of the plunger for the intermittentactuation of a display drum in a certain street or station indicatorandadvertising apparatus for which we have made application for LettersPatent of the United States, filed of even date herewith, Serial No.445,266, although it is to be understood that this present invention isequally applicable to signaling mechanism generally and Wherever thelengthening or shortening of the stroke of a magnetically operatedplunger would be advantageous.

The invention has for its object an improved means for shifting anelectro-magnet used in connection with a plunger, as above noted, andthe invention consists in the constructions, arrangements andcombination of the parts that we will hereinafter fully describe andthen point out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through an indicating apparatusembodying the improvements of our invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view,on an enlarged scale, illustrating particularly the presentimprovements; Fig. 3 is a view thereof at right angles to Fig. 2, andFig. 4 is a view of one corner of the case or cabinet of the deviceillustrating details hereinafter mentioned.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

In the present instance, this invention is shown as incorporated in astreet or station indicator which comprises a casing 1 provided with asight opening 2 in its front, a revoluble display drum 3 journaledwithin the casing, and a plunger 4 mounted to recip- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed July 24, 1908.

Patented Jul 13, 1909.

Serial No. $45,267.

rocate within the casing and carrying a pawl 5 designed for engagementwith a ratchet 6 of the display drum so that every time the plunger ismoved forwardly it will turn the drum so as to shift the display plates7 embodied therein. The plunger 4 is automatically moved forward bymeans of an expansion spring 7 and is drawn rearwardly by means of anelectronnagnet S with the mounting of which this invention has most todo. It is to be understood that when the magnet 8 is energized, its core9 will attract the head 10 that is formed on the rear end of the plunger4 and that as soon as the magnet 8 is then deenergized the spring 7 willbe permitted to act to move the plunger 4: forwardly so as to effect apartial rotary movement to the display drum 3.

As an example of the necessity for regulating the stroke of the plunger4, let it be assumed that the indicating a Jparatus above generallydescribed, is insta ed in a street car for the purpose of indicating thenames of the street crossings or stations as the car approaches thesame. If, for instance, the display drum represents a route which hasone hundred streets or stations to be indicated before returning to thestarting point, it will have one hundred ratchet teeth 6, therebynecessitating a comparatively short stroke of the plunger 4. But if thedrum with one hundred ratchet teeth 6 is removed and another drumsubstituted therefor for a route having, say, fifty cross streets or stos, the display drum would be provided wit only fifty ratchet teeth, andconsequently the same plunger 4 should have a longer stroke so as tocarry the drum around to a greater extent at each actuation. Now incarrying outour invention to accomplish this result, the elect-ro-magnet8 is provided at its top with a yoke 11 which is connected to, althoughinsulated from, a rack bar 12 mounted for longitudinal movement in slotsor grooves formed in the walls of a box-like hanger 13 secured to thetop of the casing 1. A spur pinion 14 is contained within the hanger 13and meshes with the upwardly facing teeth of the rack 12 and the saidpinion is carried on a transversely extending shaft 15 which isjournaled in the hanger and in the adjacent side Wall of the casing,through which it projects. On its outer projecting end, the shaft 15carries a spring latch 16 which is provided at its free end with a'pin17 designed to be entered into any one of a series of sockets oropenings 18 formed. in the outer wall of the casing.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be seen that in order to lengthen or shorten thestroke of the plunger4, it is only necessary to shift the electro magnet8 forwarclly or rearwardly so that its core?) will attract the head 10of the plunger at a greater or less distance therefrom in thedeenergized condition oi the magnet, and that the magnet may be easilyshifted by merely pulling the latch 16 outwardly so that its pin 1.7will be retracted from one of the openings 18 and then'swinging saidlatch in one direction or the other so as to turn the shaft-and pinion14 and'slide the rack 12 in one direction or the reverse. Preferably theopenings 18 have designating characters imprinted or otherwise displayedin juxtaposition thereto so as to indicate the different routes of astreet car system, for-instance, so that the operator may shift the pinto the proper opening according to the particular drum which is slippedinto the casing for the route on which the car is to go.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: p

1. The combination with a magnetically operated plunger and the part actated thereby, ol' a magnet arranged to attract said plunger, a rack towhich said magnet is connected, a hanger in which said rack is mountedto move, a pinion meshingwith said rack, and means for turning saidpinion.

2. The combination with a magnetically operated plunger and the partactuated thereby, of a magnet arranged to attract said plunger, a racksecured to said magnet, a hanger in which said rack is 'mounted to move,a shal t .journaled in said hanger, a pinion mounted on said shaft andmeshing with said rack, and a latch or handle for turning said shaft.

'3. The combination with a casing, a magnetically operated plungermounted therein, and the part actuated by said plunger, of a magnetarranged to attract said plunger and mounted within the casing, a hangerwithin the casing and from which said magnet is suspended, and means forshifting said magnet in relation to the hanger, said shitting meansincluding a shaft extending out through the casing, and a spring latchsecured on the projecting end of said sh a'l't and provided with a lockpin, the casing being formed with a series of openingsdesigned toreceive said pin.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

OSLAR H. HARRISON. 3[L. s1 EDVJARD A. PETERSON. [-L. s]

Witnesses:

ROBERT MALM-BEEG, JOHN E. PETERSON.

